Noah
by Bollywish
Summary: Simply Noah, his time on Total Drama and everything leading up to his end on the show all told from his point of view. (Team E-Scope included)
1. Noah

Disclaimer: The Total Drama Series doesn't belong to me (I wish it did lol) Just a fan.  
Summary: Simply Noah and everything leading up to his end on Total Drama.

* * *

_**"Noah"**_

* * *

"Be a good boy today, you hear?"

"Yes, Mama-ji."

"And please, please no fighting with your teachers. Please baby."

I couldn't really respond to that. I mean, even from a younger age I knew not all adults understood half of what they preached. Some teachers deserved to be guided and who was better at that than me? Honestly. My first day in the public school system was one I had honestly dreaded after being in private school from grade one to five. Hearing all the warnings from my peers about public school, it sounded like I'd been signed up for jail time. Don't get me mixed up though, private school wasn't any better, especially since the school had been a religious one. If you know me, you know I'm generally a realist. Meditation had usually turned into a long nap or even better, a lengthy slumber which turned into a call home, which turned into a lecture from Dad. Spontaneous religious text readings had turned to misunderstandings, which turned into bad grades, which turned into another lecture. I always felt like I didn't need the school system and I swear, if schools didn't have a library, I wouldn't attend.

"Okay then." My mother sighed, looking me over. "I'll pick you up after school, alright?" I gave a nod and turned away toward the stairs that lead to the entrance. First thing I noticed off the bat, it smelled like rotten cheese or my older brother, Natawar's running shoes when he used to run track. I remember I dug into my backpack and pulled my schedule out, and for that entire day, I held it like it was some kind of life line. The kids looked and smelled weird, and it was a bit strange seeing a mix of different types of people scattered in the halls. My first class, if I remember properly, had been Earth Science. I got lost and ended up running after I heard the late bell go off. Let me tell you something, I don't run. I never run. Ever. I had been really worried about getting in trouble though, thinking back to being late in a Hindustani establishment, the punishments were brutal. When I opened the room door, I was expecting all hell to break loose. Instead, it was nothing but blank stares from the children already seated inside, like I was some kind of alien or something. I remember hating the fact that the tables sat two students together, I like my personal space to put my feet up if I need a quick snooze or an extra seat to set my books down on.

"Hm? Transfer student, right?" The teacher looked ridiculous, and I can remember staring at him for a few seconds before I finally responded. Bulky, thick lenses, high rise trousers with suspenders holding them in place and a shiny, obviously unnatural hair piece.

"Erm—yes?" The answer was practically croaked out of my pre-pubescent throat, mostly because I was fighting my wits. It would have been so easy to poke a bit of fun, but I still wasn't familiar with the school system.

"Name please?"

"Natraaj." Okay, shut up, shut up. I know what you're thinking to yourself and it's one of two things. Either 'How do you pronounce that?' or 'Um, I thought your name was Noah.' Relax, okay? Seriously, calm down and let me explain myself later. So, the ridiculously dressed man gave me a gap toothed smile and nodded as he checked my name off rather quickly. I'm pretty sure my out-of-the-ordinary name was easy to find.

"Okay, you can take the empty seat right in the middle row." I followed my gaze in the direction he'd been pointing his wrinkly finger and saw someone was already placed at the desk. First thing I noticed about the kid, he was digging for gold, and I don't mean pirate treasure type gold. For a fact, I know I cringed, but I took the placement and settled down in my seat. "We'll start in just a moment class, I'd just like to get attendance handed in." I sat down and set my bag onto the ground beside me, pulling a notebook and a fresh pencil. The ginger-headed kid had stared at me the entire time, adjusting his glasses or blowing his nose with a tissue, loudly I should add. And I'm not sure why, but I felt like he'd leaned in a bit to smell my hair. All I know is, after a while of having my personal space violated, I was getting annoyed.

"Do you mind, four-eyes?" I finally mumbled. I guess that caught the geek off guard since he jumped the moment I spoke. He scratched his nose with his thumb and flicked something off before he got back to me.

"You're new."

"Oh wow, didn't realize that. Thanks, Captain Obvious."

"I'm Harold. I thought you didn't speak English or something." I glanced at him with narrow eyes for a moment. I thought he was joking, but the expression on his face was validation, this guy was a complete idiot.

"If I didn't speak English, then why would they put me in this class?"

"Uh, I don't know." I rolled my eyes and opened my notebook, thinking it would end the pointless conversation brewing, but it didn't. The geek actually pulled his seat closer to mine, as if we weren't close enough.

"Seriously? You're way too close right now."

"What's your name? I told you mine, tell me yours. I mean, it's only right since we'll be desk neighbors this year." I had already planned on a seat change at this point, but I answered his question after a deep sigh.

"Natraaj Singh." There was silence for a while. Harold just blinked a few times.

"Pardon?"

"Natraaj." Silence again. I narrowed my gaze when my name didn't seem to be getting through to him. Randomly, I felt someone tap my shoulder and I turned around. "What?"

"I'm Owen. Your name sounds like someone sneezing. Ha!" I took that as offense, especially with the way this guy carried himself in white shirt, stained with brown splotches.

"You're one to talk, lunchbox." Harold chuckled, but my glance instantly shut him up.

"Hey man, I didn't mean anything by it. Maybe you just need a nickname?" I turned back to the fat kid.

"I don't do nicknames."

"What about, tightwad?" Harold mumbled. "We're just trying to be friendly, gosh…" I rubbed my temples this time. Maybe I was sorta being a bit uptight.

"Fine, but nothing stupid."

"What about, Overlord? Makes you sound like the master of a foreign world, ruled by wizards of darkness and black magic."

"…no."

"Okay, what about something simple? Like Thor, God of-"

"Harold, NO." Owen gave it some thought before he grinned.

"Noah."

"What? That's a completely different name."

"It's easier to say and I mean, it starts with an 'N'. The clerk at the bakery around the corner is named Noah too…or maybe it was Fred. I can't remember. It might have been Cooper or—"

"OKAY! FINE! Noah! Call me, Noah! Just stop talking." They seemed content with the name and finally kept quiet when the teacher stood to start his lesson. So far, the day hadn't impressed me at all. The children were obnoxious and the teachers were amateur. I literally didn't learn anything throughout the day. Nothing during my mathematics classes, nothing during social studies and of course nothing I didn't already know about my body in P.E.. As my mother had assured me, Pooja Singh had been waiting for me outside her car afterschool. She had a look of concern at first, but unfortunately, I had company to escort me outside.

"Natraaj, who is this?" She asked me with a bright smile toward four-eyes and lunchbox. "Friends already?"

"They aren't my friends. Can we go now?"

"Natraaj, that isn't very nice at all. Say goodbye and I'll be in the car." I voiced a protesting groan and faced the two, gripping my backpack. Idiotic smiles looked back at my stoic expression.

"Bye. And I'm only saying so because my mother is watching." The obese one grabbed me in a tight hug and I PRAYED that the stains on his shirt, that were now touching mine, were from something edible and could be removed.

"See you tomorrow, Noah buddy!" I shoved him the best I could, but I moved more that he did. He smelled like garlic and ass. But mostly ass.

"Don't ever do that again. EVER." I heard my mother call for me harshly and sighed. Harold did some kind of weird thing with his hands, separating his fingers in a strange way when he held his hand up to me.

"Farewell, Overlord Master Noah. We shall fight again, side by side, at dawn." I rolled my eyes and walked to my car. I had enough of public school on my first day and I was hoping I would never have to see these two idiots ever again in my life. The effort to be nice was extremely tiring and I knew as soon as I sat in the backseat, I'd be out cold.


	2. An Offer I Couldn't Refuse

Disclaimer: The Total Drama Series doesn't belong to me. Just a fan.  
Summary: Simply Noah, his time on Total Drama and everything leading up to his end on the show all told from his point of view. (Team Leftover included)

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**_"An Offer I Couldn't Refuse"_**

* * *

The years went by, and as much as I hated public school, I had to deal with it. It took a while to get used to it and of course I was given a few detentions before I came to terms with the overall idiocracy that was my school. Luckily for me, if you could even call it luck, throughout the years I was able to dump one of my two issues. Harold had started following a new group of people into something he called, "LARPING".

"It's live action role playing, Noah. You already RP online, it's totally better in real life. Just try it." Of course, I refused. I had been classified as a nerd by a few of my peers that clearly weren't going to be anything in our adult lives, but I refused to be THAT nerdy. So four-eyes had finally found his sanctuary and the only issue I had following me into high school was lunchbox. At first, it had been extremely annoying, but after a while, his disgusting mannerisms and pointless babbling had become pretty entertaining. It was also nice to be reminded on a daily basis how academically ahead I was compared to an average guy like Owen.

Owen had actually changed his high school schedule to have his lunch and study hall period with me. The forty-five minutes was pretty much spent on me studying for the many AP classes I had during the day while Owen snacked on something from my bag or snacked on something he snagged from someone else's bag. I remember one time, he'd actually managed to talk a teacher into letting him into the teacher's lounge because he smelled hot cocoa bubbling inside. When he bought the cocoa back to the table we were sitting at in the library, he drank the whole cup without letting it cool and burned the entire inside of his mouth and throat. He was out of school for a few days, but came back happier than ever to tell me about his experiences.

"The roof of my mouth is still peeling, kinda like a banana or an orange. Mmm, oranges. Haha! My doctor said the mouth is the fastest healing part of the body, that's why I'm back so soon. Did ya miss me, buddy?" I didn't look up from my AP physics book to answer him. Didn't matter anyways, he just kept talking. "My dad says my experience with the deadly hot cocoa would make a gnarly college entrance essay. What do you think?" College. At the time Owen and I had talked about it, we were only sixteen, but our school was pushing us to talk to councilors and get our minds set on which colleges we wanted to go to. I swear, college had been on my mind since I was a toddler. Having 8 other siblings in the house and being the youngest of them would do that for you.

By the time I was 5, two of my older brothers had entered high school. My parents, both immigrants from the Punjab, had saved for years waiting for the chance to send their children off for a higher education. I just don't think they accurately calculated the cost to send us _all_. After my older brothers went away, the money started draining. My family was a family of thinkers. A family of ambitious people. We weren't getting into dinky little community colleges, never. We were being admitted into ivy league establishments, aka the big name schools. And we all know big name schools cost big name money. So after a few brothers passed through the college fund, it literally reduced to nothing. My older sister had seen the struggle of this first hand and always made an effort to let me know what was going on.

"Natraaj, you have to start looking for scholarships now or you'll never make it." She warned me one night as she packed her bags to leave. She'd been accepted to a school in New York City, Columbia University to study law. I remember her pulling all-nighters surfing on random websites to find any scholarship under the sun to apply for. Somehow, she'd managed to have her first two semesters paid for in full. "I'm gonna keep trying, but you have to put in some kind of effort or you'll be screwed." Effort. I didn't care for it at all then. Now that the baton was being passed to me though, I was feeling the pressure and it drained me physically. I didn't like talking about college and I didn't like having the responsibility put on me. I felt like at the rate funds were going, I wouldn't even be going to college. My ego wasn't allowing me to walk to my guidance office and claim bankruptcy. Towards Owen's constant questions about college, I usually found a way to change the subject since he was easy to pull off track, but this day had been different.

"My cousin told me those essays always ask stuff about radical things that happened to you in life, so I'm sure my cocoa accident would be an awesome entry."

"...the lights are always so dim in here, right?"

"Do you know what college you wanna go to, Noah bud?"

"I mean, I can hardly see my text book in this lighting." I remember Owen stared at me for a long while and it actually made me look up from my book to see why he'd gone silent. Silent Owen was never a thing, it caught me off guard. "What?"

"I'm just noticing that ya never talk about college. Do you wanna go to college?" I sighed and rubbed my temples, deciding to close my book. I rested my arms on the table and leaned over to relax my back.

"Well, yeah...I guess." I breathed out. Owen raised a brow in my direction.

"You guess?"

"I mean, I don't know yet."

"But how could ya not know? You study like, all the time. You're like, the smartest guy I know."

"Owen-"

"And you've always got your face in some book that has at least 200 pages or more I think."

"Owen-"

"And when I wanna hang out with you, you always have to stu-"

"OWEN!" I didn't mean to make him jump, and I sure as hell could have done without the glances I got in the library. I deeply sighed and ran a hand through my hair, trying to collect what I was gonna say. Owen was, I guess, the closest thing I had to a friend. I figured I could tell him my issue, but it was still embarrassing. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell.."

"It's alright bud, ya look tense."

"I am.."

"Why? Tell me, man. I'm all ears." He leaned over carefully to listen and set a hand around his ear.

"I...I can't afford to go to college, Owen." I whispered. Owen sprang up instantly, a look of shock on his face.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"Ya know, you could always apply for a scholarship in the guidance office."

"Yeah, I know, but it won't be enough at this point. I won't be able to stay in school where I wanna go." At this point, the bell had gone off and I collected my books into my messenger bag, standing up to sling it over my shoulder. Owen scrambled to throw out all the wrappers from the various snacks he'd eaten. "Look, it doesn't really matter anyways, I'll be fine without college. I'm going places." Owen gasped, trying to catch up to me in the hall when I left the library.

"But Noah-"

"I'll see you after school, okay?" Honestly, I didn't know what I was gonna do at the time. Sure, I was still able to ask for help and apply for endlessly random funds, but it wouldn't get me far enough. Like my sister, I would have to endure the cycle all over again once the money well went dry and I just didn't want to. I was really hoping for an opportunity to knock out all my costs in one blow.

* * *

Ontario, Canada wasn't a very exciting place to be. Our shows were getting a little more popular in North America and some of our fast food choices too, but in general, the only thing people had to look forward to was nothing. Don't get me wrong though, maybe it was just the town I was in. After getting off the bus one morning, a classmate of mine from English, Joey, had approached me pretty frantically. It seemed like the whole school was in an uproar from the moment I stepped through the doors. The hallways were all buzzing about something.

"What's going on?" I had asked him, watching pretty much everyone pull out cell phones as they read off fliers that had been posted up around school. Everyone was snapping pictures of the walls and calling friends over to check it out. School had never felt so awake and alive.

"Some show is recruiting teens from all around Canada to take part in some kind of contest." Joey informed me. "Everyone's like, majorly excited about it."

"Of course they are, nothing ever happens here."

"The show's staff came by earlier and dropped off a bunch of fliers for the student council to post around the school. Have you seen one yet?" I shook my head 'no' and Joey lead me over to one. It was a brightly colored, tropical looking poster, the complete opposite of my cold, dull town. Pop art was featured all over and in bold letters, the show's title read, **_Total Drama Island Wants YOU_**. The name in itself was unappealing to me.

"Total Drama? Another stupid reality show? Oh fabulous. As if we needed anymore..." Joey chuckled toward what I said.

"More like a competitive type show. The contestants go though a bunch of challenges over the course of the summer, and the winner gets $100,000." My eyes went wide. Screw the challenges, the prize money sounded like the answer to my problems. Thinking to myself for a moment, I knew I was smarter than the average teenager. I knew I could think my way through any dilemma. I could surely get through challenges with my brains. I could win the contest easily and the money could pay for all my needs. I continued to read over the flier, letting my finger trail down the requirements. _Must be beween the ages 14-18 to apply. Create a home video no longer than two minutes about why you should be accepted to compete on Total Drama Island. All videos should be uploaded and sent to the email provided by the due date below. If accepted, an email from the staff will be sent with more information and a guardian permission slip if you classify as a minor. _Joey rolled his eyes. "Everyone's getting hyped up over nothing again. It's unrealistic and-"

"I'm gonna try out."

"What? You, Noah? Of all people? I'm hella shocked." I took a photo of the flier and smirked to myself as the first period bell rang for class. I parted ways with Joey and managed to run into Owen in the hall.

"DID YOU SEE THE-"

"Yeah, I did Owen. I'm auditioning for it."

"ME TOO! THIS IS GONNA BE AWESOME! WOO!" I laughed to myself, shaking my head toward all the cheering and excitement. This was the perfect opportunity to make some easy money. If I applied for a few scholarships and put the prize money together, I'd have an easy ride through college when the time came. I didn't care for competition though, knowing effort would probably be involved in the whole process, but I was willing to try for the sake of a college level education. I couldn't refuse the offer, no matter how hard I tried to convince myself that I didn't need it. My first few classes went by and I could only think about what I was gonna say in my audition video. Seeing the whole school in a frenzy, I knew it would be rough to be picked out of all those other teens. Knowing reality television, they wanted someone interesting that would bring in viewers. For a fact I knew that talking about my love for online rping, reading and sleeping wouldn't get me on the show. I had to make myself...attractive.

I met Owen in the lunchroom after a few classes had gone by and the conversation was already set on what our ideas were for our audition tapes. I took the apple and energy drink from my lunch tray and handed Owen the rest as I usually did. Owen had drawn out a few stick figures of stunts he was thinking of doing for his video and I highly recommended that he didn't do any of them, even though he insisted.

"Fine, then what ideas do you have for your video?" I shrugged toward the question.

"I'm not sure, but I'll come up with something." Owen lifted his sloppy joe sandwich to his mouth and took a messy bite, sauce spilling directly onto his shirt, a daily occurrence. He chewed slowly, obviously in a state of thought. I took a bite of my apple and watched him blankly. "Don't burn yourself out over there, Einstein."

"Oh! You should solve one of those math problems from your homework assignments. Those look crazy hard."

"That's boring, Owen. I gotta do better than that."

"What about joining me in my audition video? I'm thinking of jumping my father's car with my friend's tractor! You can sit in my father's car while I jump it."

"That offer sounds like a dream, but I'll pass." Owen shrugged.

"Your loss, buddy. It's gonna be awesome!" I couldn't help but laugh.

"Yeah, okay. Show me how much the mechanic and medical bills come out to when it's all said and done." Honestly though, Owen's idea sounded exactly like what a producer would be looking for. It was interesting, entertaining, risky and just downright stupid. I needed to come up with something to make myself look good. I decided I'd ask my siblings when I got home. One of them had to have some kind of advice for me.


	3. Doubts and the Tape

Disclaimer: The Total Drama Series doesn't belong to me. Just a fan.  
Summary: Simply Noah, his time on Total Drama and everything leading up to his end on the show all told from his point of view. (Team Leftover included)

* * *

_**"Doubts and the Tape"**_

* * *

A few days had gone by and I tried my hardest to think of something interesting to shoot for the video. Just hearing "_me"_ and "_interesting"_ in the same sentence was hell in itself, there was honestly nothing appealing. Looking online at some of the videos that had already gone up, I saw half naked girls flirting with the camera, plenty of physically fit guys flexing and unintelligent people doing unintelligent stunts. Typical. The thing about all those videos was, it looked like something that would be on television. It was entertaining. Myself on the other hand, reading or sleeping, was the complete opposite of entertainment and I had drawn a blank. I had tried calling a few of my brothers for advice and got the same answer from nearly all of them.

"Television, Natraaj? Will Mama allow that?"

"I haven't exactly spoken to her about my plans yet…"

"Don't ask me then, Raaj. You just sound like you're asking for trouble." My sister was literally the only one who gave me a "good luck" at the end of the call, but there was no support as usual. They didn't exactly believe in reality television being how traditional we had been bought up. I can't even recall the last time we watched something on TV together unless it was my mother watching a Punjabi film or something of the sort. That only aided in my struggle to figure out what to say in my video. What were people on tv like? Judging from the videos online, they seemed trashy.

"This is pointless…" I closed the internet tabs on my laptop and reached for my gaming mic in my desk drawer, starting up my PC game. I had to get my mind off all this college stress one way or another, and rping on my favorite game, _Dragon Assassin_, seemed like the only way at this point. Solving puzzles was something I was good at and my Underground Alliance online always turned to me for the answers to the riddles that the warlocks and forest trolls would leave. Maybe I wasn't the strongest when it came to combat, but I had smarts for sure and I was clearly the best when it came to strategic planning for attacks.

"Gladiator424, stay to the left behind MimicMaster. Cinderhella243, keep to the middle and I'll stay here to the right. We'll take down Pythagoras this time if you do exactly as I tell you."

"YES SIR!" Loved hearing that. Of course, as planned, my battle position worked and I was given most of the gold that my alliance collected. Something in my head went off at that moment. All those videos online seemed identical. Half naked girls couldn't be that smart. Neither could those tools mistaken for teenage guys. There was no contest between me and an average school kid, not with my IQ of 180. Never. It sounded crazy to me, but maybe just being myself would actually work to my advantage. I was different from the rest. If I played it up a little, I could make it on Total Drama.

* * *

The following Monday morning, I called Owen in advance to let him know my plans for the day. He was shocked to know that a week had gone by and that I hadn't posted or even shot my video. Of course, he had already gone though with his and it hadn't gone as planned for him, but it was up online and that was enough. So he was willing to help me get mine online as quickly as possible before the due date. "We'll meet afterschool near the gym, okay? I'll bring my camera equipment with me."

"Of course! I'll be there for ya buddy!" I knew I couldn't allow Owen to hold my chance to go to college in his chocolate stained hands, so later in the day I had asked Joey, my classmate from English class, to help film the tape. No, we weren't exactly friends, but I was cool with him...at least cooler with him touching my camera than the tubby one. He had agreed to help, but that came with a price. When the end of the day came around, I actually felt excited about something. It was an anxious kind of excitement and it honestly gave me more stress than joy. I met the guys near the gym and complied with what Joey wanted from me in return for his services.

"Seriously guys, I appreciate the help." Paid in some snacks from the vending machine, Joey helped me set my camera onto my tripod and Owen gave an approving smile. I had decided to shoot my audition tape at school, the place where I felt like I had the most power, instead of my bedroom or at home, where I lacked it. I was, of course, an honor roll student and an active member in my school's student council. I was on the chess team, a writer in the "_Scientific Affairs_" section of the school newspaper and secondary leader of our school's book club. Owen licked orange powder residue off his fingers, a product of the cheese puffs he'd been eating, before he spoke.

"Whatcha planning on saying?" I leaned my back against the rusted locker behind me and shrugged.

"Thought I'd just wing it."

"No script? But Noah, that could be a mistake! You should write some funny jokes down to read from or something. Or maybe, you could do a cool stunt down the hallway."

"Nah, I'll save the stunts for you, chubby buddy..." Joey positioned the angle of the camera, lowering it significantly to get me on screen. Owen, as quickly as the big guy could manage, hopped out of the shot and stood beside Joey behind the camera. I'm not gonna lie, I straightened myself up and I cursed myself a little on the inside for not ironing my sweater vest.

"Alrighty, this looks good." Joey told me. "Lemme know when you're ready and I'll hit the record button." My eyes glanced up at Owen who gave me a thumbs up. I released some air that I found to be holding in and nodded. Joey pushed the red button and when the red light came on, I did too.

"Hey, I'm Noah. You may not know me but you will, because I'm going places.." Owen nodded, urging me to go on. His grin had gotten bigger and brighter with every word that passed my lips. To be honest, I was even impressed with myself. Joey bought the camera closer as I leaned in, almost as if I had the secret to winning the show. "See, I've got a plan-" For some reason, Joey had hopped away from the camera, which caught me off guard. I thought he was trying to make a run for it in the middle of shooting and that pissed me off since those vending machine snacks weren't exactly cheap.

"Hey Noah!" He decided to yell. "Way to go on winning class president! You deserve it man!" Was I an active member of the student council? Yes. Did I care enough to stay after school everyday to deal with class president affairs? No. I wasn't the class president. I hadn't even ran for the job. It was a hell of a lie, but if it made me look good, I was in. I gave Joey a knowing smirk and turned back to the camera.

"Thanks, Joey! See, I got smarts and that's what wins in the end. Trust me, I got this one in the bag~." Joey rushed over to end the video and I dropped the cheesy game show host grin. "How was that?"

"PERFECT DUDE!" Owen shouted in my ear. I took a few steps away from him to rub my abused eardrum. Joey nodded in agreement. "It was really good, Noah. Perfect in one take."

"I would have never thought of sugar coating my video though." I chuckled. "Thanks for that." He gave a tip in his baseball cap and threw his bag full of snacks over his shoulder, leaving Owen and I in the hall. I took the camera into my hands and watched the tape over. It was good, like, really good. I didn't even seem like myself. I honestly looked like a real contender for the show. "I think this is it, bud." After putting away my camera equipment, Owen walked out of the school with me. "C'mon, let's get some pizza. My treat."

"Awesome! Woo! Pizza!" That had honestly been the biggest mistake of the day. I never realized how much that guy could eat and that put a hole in my pocket for the rest of the week. **Never again**.

Getting home later that evening, I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. The house smelled like cinnamon, and I curiously peeked into the kitchen to find my mother stirring fresh chai over the stove. She looked up at me when she noticed me at the archway and I waved.

"Coming home late today? I didn't know you had book club on Mondays." I adjusted my bag over my shoulder and shook my head. She strained the spices from the pot into a cup and added some milk and sugar to it, handing it to me carefully. I took it with a dim smile and she turned away to fix her own cup.

"I don't, Mama. I stayed after with my friends." Taking a delicate sip, I felt calmed. On my agenda, I knew the video would need a bit of editing, but it would be up and online for sure by tonight. That really took a load off my mind.

"For what?" That simple question made me choke down the chai. The stress had instantly come back in one blow. I still hadn't exactly told my parents about any of this. My father probably wouldn't care, but it was my mother that would definitely go against this idea. It was unconventional and no where near old fashioned. I wanted to answer her with complete honesty, but if I told her about this and then ended up not making it on the show, she'd look at all this effort as a waste of time. I couldn't tell her, at least not yet, but I made it a promise to myself to tell her if I made it on. I would have to anyways, parental permission was needed for minors.

"Peer tutoring." I lied, turning away from her to escape to my room. She stopped me with another statement.

"Ah, I see. Oh, Natraaj, aren't you hungry? I made-"

"No, it's fine Mama. I'm a bit tired, I just wanna sleep now. Goodnight." I was already halfway up the stairs to my room at that point. I needed to get started on the video editing if I wanted to catch some viewing traffic hours. I was already behind, as the videos that were up already had a couple hundred views. It didn't take me long at all to cut where things needed to be cut. I had fixed the lighting and color as well and when I thought it was close to perfect, I uploaded it. In that moment, I didn't realize how much this meant to me. Once my video went public, I felt an extreme pressure as I sent the link to the Total Drama email. A lot of hope was riding on this video. For hours, I compared it to others that had gone up. I even thought about taking it down at one point and filming it over again, but I didn't.

Now this was a waiting game. I'd have to wait for a conformation email from the staff and just knowing that this wasn't a guarantee made me feel sick inside. If I didn't get accepted, then what? What would I do about college? I'd have to take out loans that I'd never be able to pay. I'd have to work off my student loans for the rest of my life leading to debt in my adult years. I'd be miserable. I had to make it on the show, there was no other option. I closed my laptop and stood up from my computer chair, plopping myself down on my bed, face first into my pillow. It helped keep my groaning volume on low.


	4. Emails

Disclaimer: The Total Drama Series doesn't belong to me. Just a fan.  
Summary: Simply Noah, his time on Total Drama and everything leading up to his end on the show all told from his point of view. (Team Leftover included)

* * *

_**"Emails"**_

* * *

The days had gone by so slow. Nearly every other person at school had their phones in their hand, just to check their email. I was one of them, and the agony that came with seeing a new email, only for it to be spam hurt. It hurt a lot. The hours in the day seemed to slow down. Teachers started to catch onto the trend after a while, realizing why most of us were becoming more and more unproductive in class. Even they wanted to know who was gonna be on television and they asked us daily if we got any responses. Seemed like no one was getting lucky. Not a single call back for anyone at our high school. Every lunch period during that time was the same between Owen and I.

"Got anything, little buddy?"

"Hold on, lemme check really quick…uh….no. You?"

"Nope." It had already been a week after I posted my video. The views had caught up with everyone else, which made me pretty happy, but it didn't matter if I didn't get an email from _Total Drama_. I didn't care to eat lunch. My body just wouldn't let me eat in peace. Owen, of course, had no trouble at all eating what I didn't. He wasn't depending on this as much as I was. "Don't worry so much, Noah. It's not like anyone else got an email yet. Maybe they haven't looked through all the auditions yet." It was on this day that something out of the ordinary happened after a dull and depressing week.

"WHOA! T-THEY EMAILED ME! EVERYONE LOOK, THEY EMAILED ME!" Heads in the cafeteria shot up and necks almost cracked from turning around so fast. Harold, the annoying karate-obsessed dork waved his phone high above his head and his friends cheered for him at the table. "THIS IS WICKED AWESOME!" Everyone looked down at their phones at the same moment as I got up. This couldn't be true. Harold? _Really_? I rushed over, pulling my messenger bag over my shoulder. Too many disappointed faces looked up at me as I passed their seats. Still nothing for the majority of the room. I grabbed the nerd's shoulder and spun him around with strength I didn't even know I possessed.

"You're kidding, right?" Harold flashed his phone screen in front of my face. I grabbed his thin wrists to hold the phone steady and I desperately read through the message. _Congratulations Harold McGrady V! Your video has landed you a spot on our new reality show, **Total Drama Island**! You'll be playing to win for the big cash prize along with other teens like you selected from all over North America! Get your head in the game and get ready for some major challenges and fun! Please have your parental slip signed and sent back to the email below. You'll receive a phone call to your personal listed number, a coach bus ticket and a yacht ticket in the mail to join us this summer! See you soon!_

"Why would it be a joke?" Harold snorted, taking his arm away from me harshly. "I knew I'd make it on the show. All I had to do was show them my skills and list them in the email. I knew they wouldn't be able to resist." I checked my phone for an email. Nothing. I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach and it made me feel nauseous. My ideas of what these people were looking for seemed to be all wrong so far. Four eyes wasn't anywhere near the "trashy" stereotype I thought a reality show needed.

"_Shit_…"

"What happened, Noah?" I looked up at Owen when he had finally joined me. I shook my head and turned away when the bell rang. This wasn't good at all. I was never wrong. He followed behind me, patting me on the back when I had lost control of my stoic expression. I couldn't hide my sadness toward the situation. These people were messing with my emotions. "See you in study hall, okay? Take it easy." I watched Owen walk into his class and continued down the hall to mine. I thought about student loans again. Maybe I still had time to sign up for student assistance, I mean at that point, I still had another year or so before college? It was hell thinking that way.

* * *

I picked a book out from the library and sat down at our usual study hall table. Sinking into my seat, I tried to indulge in the words of _Pride and Prejudice_, but it proved no relief from my stress. Owen waddled over to our table and pulled off his backpack, setting it down before he took a seat. We eyed each other, the same undone expression on our faces. Still, nothing. I looked back down at my book as Owen popped open a can of cheese-wiz and a pack of potato chips. He sprayed the cheese into his mouth and followed it up by shoving a handful of salted junk on top. It was pretty disgusting to watch, especially since I could see the food churning since he ate with his mouth open. Usually, I could handle it, but I was irritable to say the least and I wasn't in the mood for Owen's piggery.

"Do you mind?" He hadn't heard me over his obnoxious crunching, and again, he went through the processes of cheese and chips. More cheese, more chips. Over and over until he had run out of cheese. "Do you mind?" I repeated. This finally bought his attention to me.

"Oh, sorry Noah. I should have offered you some...out of cheese-wiz now. It was really good.."

"I don't want any of your processed junk. I'm just trying to read, so can you pipe down and chew with your mouth CLOSED?" Owen frowned for a moment, but it quickly faded away and was replaced by a smile when he found a chocolate bar in his bag. Another wrapper was crumpled and thrown onto the table and the entire bar was shoved into his mouth. He caught me eyeing him and froze, his eyes widened in realization. Reaching his hand into his mouth, Owen pulled a partially chewed, saliva covered bar of milk chocolate from his orange cheese stained lips. "O-oh god, Owen..."

"I just wanted to know if you wanted a piece. I should have asked you..."

"NO! I-I'm fine, just eat it!" I nearly threw up watching him gobble the slobbery, regurgitated bar of brown mess. I closed my book and held my stomach. Owen did the same after he swallowed the chocolate. I heard a familiar rumbling coming from his direction and his face had gone a pale shade of green. "What happened?"

"I don't think the chocolate and the cheese are agreeing with each other..."

"Owen! Not in here, I swear!"

"I don't think I can get up...ugh! I'm cramping up.." I'm no athlete, but I collected my things in record time. He had cheese, so there was no way I was gonna sit there to smell him cutting it. There was no time to warn anyone else to leave the library. I rushed to the front desk and set the contents of Mr. Darcy down, making my way to the exit just as I heard an explosion of toxins behind me. Within a matter of seconds, gagging teens and the librarians themselves ran out the doors of what was once a silent sanctuary. I couldn't help but laugh a little, to their dismay. I sat in the hall and waited for the big guy to join me again. Took him a few minutes before he came through the doors. "Gosh..."

"Feel any better?"

"Absolutely. Heh, chocolate and cheese are good, but just not together." He paused for a moment, grabbing his hip and I stood up in an instant.

"Oh no.." Owen just laughed at me and pulled his phone from his oversized cargo pocket. A few wrappers fell out as his hand bought the phone to his face. We stood in silence for a second till I saw his eyes practically sparkle in reaction to whatever he was reading. "What? Dinner plan message from your mom? Is it meatloaf this time?" Owen's smile was wiped away and he turned his back to me, holding his phone to his chest. What was he hiding? "Owen?"

"IT'S NOT A MESSAGE FROM TOTAL DRAMA! I PROMISE!" My mouth dropped.

"No way..."

"I'm sorry, little buddy! I mean, I'm excited that I made the show, but-"

"N-no, be happy. Don't be sad for me.."

"Noah..."

"It's fine. I'm glad you made it on. Congrats, bud." Now, I really couldn't process what was going through the minds of the producers of that show. Harold and now Owen? Should I have done something stupid in my video? Seemed like they were only picking out the odd ones. I was way off. When the bell rang, I didn't even have time to turn away before I was gathered in an uncomfortable position by lunchbox and squeezed in a painful embrace. "Gahhhh!"

"I'M SO EXCITED! I'M GONNA BE ON TV!"

"PUT ME DOWN RIGHT NOW!"

* * *

Owen had disregarded my feelings for the remainder of the school day and it put me in a sour mood. I understood that he was excited about being on television, but it was annoying not being able to join in the excitement myself. I didn't snap on him for it though, even though I felt like I should have. Afterschool, I had mustered up the courage to walk into the guidance office and ask for help. I knew I had to start thinking realistically and that hurt me to think about on the bus ride home. Walking through the front door, I let my back lean against the wall for a moment. I closed my eyes in a moment of silence and stabilized my breathing before heading upstairs to my room and closing the door. I threw my bag down on the floor and sat at my computer desk in thought. '_Maybe this is it, Natraaj...time for student aid_..' The millionth groan of the day left my lips and I rubbed my temples. I opened my laptop and started a search to see if anyone from any other schools got emails back. Sure enough, through a simple search, I found out more than a few conformation letters had been sent all around Canada. I went through a list of the people I could find. _Trent, Beth, Heather... _Those few people in themselves were all different looking judging from their pictures online or the excited videos they had posted. They didn't even look interesting to me.

"I can't believe I didn't make it..." I actually spoke out loud. I had checked my phone all day, everyday for a week. I edited my video to perfection. I thought I was going places. I heard my phone go off in my bag and eyed it at the other side of the room. Owen had been sending me text messages all day long. He asked me everything. _"What should I pack? Do you think they'll allow me to bring cheese for everyone? What if someone is lactose intolerant? Should I bring them something different? I'll still bring cheese, but I'll bring a few bottles of ginger ale for their stomachs." _I didn't feel like reading anymore messages, so when I heard my mother call me down for dinner, I skipped on searching through my bag and went down to join my parents. My mother eyed me as I sat down and studied my expression.

"Everything alright, Natraaj?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." She set a plate of food in front of me and took a spot at the table. My father didn't care for conversation while he ate, he never cared for conversation at all. I guessed that was where I got it from. I didn't feel like eating, I was actually upset about something for once. I never invested my time into anything beside my studies or my games. Putting my effort into something meant I really cared. I didn't like when my efforts went unnoticed.

"Why aren't you eating?" I hadn't realized that I sat at the table without touching anything. "Something is wrong. Why won't you tell me? Is it school? Did something happen at school?"

"No, Mama."

"Are you hurt?"

"No, Mama."

"Is it a girl?" My father randomly asked, looking up from his plate of curry. "I hope it's not a girl."

"It's not a girl."

"Then what is it?" Should I just come out about it and tell them? I felt like a girl telling her parents that she was expecting or something. They had already ruled out what they thought was the most important and worrisome. I took in a deep breath and let it out before I finally answered.

"I know we're struggling when it comes to college funding. I wanna go to school, but if it means I have to take out massive loans, then I just can't find it in myself to go. I...I tried another method to have money granted to me.."

"Are you selling drugs?" My eyes shot open in the direction of my father._ Seriously_?

"NO! I just signed up for a television show...a competition type show. If I got on, I could win more than enough to go to school. I'd be gone for the summer, but I know for a fact I'd win." My parents, just as I knew they would, gave me looks of disapproval.

"Television?" My mother asked. "And what if you didn't win? Hm?"

"Mama, I know I would."

"You don't know anything! When were you even going to tell us about this? Hm? Is this why you've been staying after so much these days? Let me tell you something-"

"You don't have to tell me anything!" My sudden outburst caught them both off guard, but they stayed silent long enough for me to finish what I wanted to say. "I didn't even make it on, okay? I didn't get casted for the show, so you don't have to lecture me. Just save it!" I ran a hand through my hair, closing my eyes for a second. "I'm looking to sign up for student aid, okay? I'll do it right after dinner-or even better, I'll do it right now!" I got up from the table and my mother reached out to me, but I didn't want to talk anymore. The last few weeks had been a waste, I knew that as much as my parents knew. I should have listened to my siblings, but I mostly should have listened to my sister. I closed my bedroom door and locked it, reaching for my bag on the floor. I bought it over to my computer desk, resting it on my lap when I sat down. The guidance councilor had given me so many different forms to fill out, and I couldn't believe I had failed. I didn't want to believe the process I'd have to go through now. My phone buzzed again in my bag and I finally pulled it out, flipping it open. **23 New Messages From Lunchbox; 2 New Game Updates; 2 New Email Messages**.

For some reason, my stomach sank seeing that I had a new emails. Somewhere, deep down inside myself, I felt that lingering hope. I shook my head and went through the messages from Owen. More foolishness, which was expected. I decided I wouldn't respond to it. My mind was still on the fact that I had those emails, so I finally decided to look, clicking the alert on my phone. "Fucking spam message..." I groaned when my eyes had fallen on a junk message, offering me a free sample of dandruff shampoo. I wasn't expecting anything from the only other message in my inbox. _Congratulations Natraaj "Noah" Singh! Your video has landed you a spot on our new reality show, **Total Drama Island**! _

Now I was frozen. My body was tense. I was never wrong. I made it. I was going to compete for a chance to win big. I held my head for a second in disbelief. This had just gotten real for me. The biggest issue on my mind was the fact that I'd have to have my permission given to me by my parents. After what had happened over dinner, that wasn't going to happen. "Screw it." I wouldn't let them stop me from competing. I made it on the show. It was this or nothing. I'd sign those forms myself.


	5. Runaway Camper

Disclaimer: The Total Drama Series doesn't belong to me (I wish it did lol) Just a fan.  
Summary: Simply Noah, his time on Total Drama and everything leading up to his end on the show all told from his point of view. (Team E-Scope included)

* * *

_**"Runaway Camper"**_

* * *

An entire weekend went by and I hadn't told Owen the news I'd received in my emails, I wanted to wait till I saw him Monday morning. The two of us would be competing on _Total Drama Island_ together this summer. I honestly still couldn't believe it myself. All weekend long, I read the email I was sent over and over again, trying to wrap my head around the fact that they saw something in me. Along with my video entry, we were required to send in our phone number for additional phone calls and updates. I had gotten one, Sunday morning, from someone on the production staff just to make sure my number was true, and the excitement I felt from hearing someone associated with the show had kept me high. The parental permission slip would also be sent out to me from them the following week and would need to be signed by either parent since I had only been sixteen at the time. I already settled with an idea on what to do about that, I'd sign it myself, but I didn't know how I'd get away with an entire summer of being gone with no word on where I was and no academic significance to what I was doing. It was the thought of not being able to compete that stressed me out the most. I had gone through with some of my financial aid paper work. Form after form after miserable form. Seriously, I was beyond sick of the forms. The one hundred-thousand dollar prize money would save me from it all.

The next school day, Monday, I scoped out the hallways after hopping off the bus. I thought I'd be calmer about the whole situation when it came to telling Owen, but I now understood what he felt last Friday. _Urgency_. I had no one at home who I could tell about this. No one who'd care about my excitement. No one who'd support me. When I finally caught glimpse of my giant of a friend, he was shaking his backpack and emptying it of old crumbs that had been stuck at the bottom of it. No, he wasn't emptying them into the trash, I'm sure you can guess where the crumbs were going. I rushed over to him, pulling the bag away from his face to catch his attention.

"-Oh! 'Morning bud!"

"Listen, I'm sorry I didn't answer any of your messages over the weekend. I've been stuck on thoughts and just thought I'd wait till I saw you again." Owen pulled a packet of sandwich cookies from his shorts pocket and popped two into his mouth.

"Aw, don't worry about it Noah." He spoke with a full mouth of course, adding two more cookies to the mush forming between his teeth. "It's cool." I frowned when a wet piece of cookie hit my cheek. A long sigh left my body and I just decided to come out with the news.

"Owen, I made it."

"Hm?"

"I made it on the show. I got the ema-" Owen dropped the now empty packet of cookies and lifted me up in yet another bone crushing hug, choking down whatever he had left in his mouth to yell out to the entire hallway.

"HECK YEAH! HECKIN' HECK YEAH! I KNEW IT! I KNEW YOU WOULD!"

"O-O-wen..."

"WE'RE GONNA BE ON TOTAL DRAMA BABY! WOO!" That stopped some teens in the hall right in their tracks. Then a few more grouped around, all eyeing us. I finally managed to pull away from Owen and collected myself after I had fallen to the floor. Owen continued with a dance no one needed to witness so early in the morning, but quickly tired himself out in the process. "My buddy, Noah here got a callback from Total Drama! So did I, last week! We're gonna be on TV!" They actually cheered with the fat guy, though some rechecked their own emails and were again, met with disappointment. I couldn't help but smile a little. From across the hall, Harold made his way over to the small crowd we'd attracted and folded his arms along side his _LARP_ club. I couldn't get over the dorky helmets and chest plates that they all sported. Complete dorks.

"Prove it." Harold challenged us. "I doubt Total Drama would recruit someone who totally lacks the spirit it takes to be a true winner." I furrowed my brows.

"Wait, what?"

"Where's the email from the show, Noah? Owen? It takes someone with heart, passion and leadership skills to be on a survival show like this. Why do you think I made it on? I've been trained to-"

"Here it is, toaster." The look on Harold's face when it came to attention toward not only my phone, but Owen's was something I wish someone snapped a photo of. Other teens and members of Harold's club also leaned in to get a glimpse of the messages, eyes moving from left to right with absolute quickness. "They called me over the weekend too."

"They called me too!" Owen chimed in. I whipped my hand away from Harold's face, as he'd done to me. The action made Owen chuckle, but he covered his mouth as to not instigate the situation. I couldn't help but smirk.

"I guess your unimpressive list of _skills_ and _training_ can be overlooked." I air-quoted toward the red head. "See you this summer! C'mon, Owen." I parted my way through the bunch and made my way down the hall to class while Lunchbox rambled on behind me about anything and everything you could imagine. I took that time to tell him about my family situation and we decided we'd probably leave for the show together when the time came. News traveled fast that two more students from our school had been added to the list of contestants for _Total Drama_. Since school was slowly coming to an end, it gave more free time to spread stories and gossip. People who had never spoken a single word to me were suddenly interested in my life, inviting me to hang after school and even updating me on other people who were casted for the show. Some of my teachers found out I auditioned and made it onto the show and took the time to congratulate me or wish me luck. By the time lunch period came around, Owen and I were bombarded by random students and a flood of questions that came with them.

"_Can you give me a shout out on TV?_"

"_Do you wanna come to my birthday party next week? No? Why not?_"

"_Can you email the producers and ask them to add me on the show? Please?_"

"_If you win, can I have a little bit of your money? We're friends, right?_"

If you know me at all, you know two things. First off, I'm not a people person. Never been a people person, never will be. Secondly, I suffer from fatigue, I get tired. So the combination of the attention I was receiving from a gaggle of idiotic teenagers and their equally idiotic inquiries were pissing me off to say the least. They never cared about me before, so why did I suddenly matter so much to them? Owen, on the other hand, was loving "making new friends" and it lifted a little stress from myself given the fact that I didn't have to deal with him all day. For the remainder of the week, I'd found ways to avoid people and created a sanctuary in a place I knew they wouldn't show up, the library. However on Thursday afternoon, during my study hall period, my sanctuary had been violated when Harold showed up at my desk in the dull, little corner of the dusty room.

"What do _you_ want?" I groaned, looking up from homework I was finishing. Harold sat across from me and set a file folder on the desk in front of me, opening the cover for me to peer inside.

"Can you just hear me out for a minute? I got this in the mail this morning, it's from the show." I instantly sat up, not even realizing how much I'd been slumped over. Inside the folder was a packet held together with a paper clip. The first page was colored with the same poster that had been posted all around our high school weeks ago and the following were plain text additions. "It's the parental slip and rules for the game. I'm thinking about teaming up with the science club to make a strategic agenda that we can use when we start the competition." That threw me off immediately.

"Excuse me? _We_? What we?" Harold blinked toward me for a moment, then instantly grew hostile.

"Why do you always have to be so mean?"

"Harold, we're not even friends. Why would I make any plans with you?"

"Not friends?"

"Never have been. This is a contest, one winner and one check. My check, not ours. Me, not we."

"You're an absolute JERK, man!"

"And you're and absolute imbecile for thinking I'd ever partner up with you during the show!" Harold slammed the file closed, collected it into his hands and stood up from the desk in unorganized rage.

"Fine! When you need help on the island, don't come to me for it! If it's competition you want, it'll be competition you get! I send curses to you and anyone you're affiliated with and I send you all to the shadow realm!" After being hushed by the librarian for the unauthorized announcement to the entire library, Harold stomped out taking his folder with him. I was a little bummed that I hadn't gotten a clear look at the rules, but I was sure I'd have the file for myself in the mail when I got home. Then it hit me.

"SHIT! THE MAIL?" Another "_shhhh_" from the librarian. My mother got home earlier than me and usually went through the mail before my father and I could get to it. When I say went through, I mean it. Every letter I've ever received in life had been sliced open, unfolded, read through, refolded and then handed to me with it's contents sloppily returned to the envelope. My mother would see a massive file in the mail for me and she'd definitely be curious as to what I could be receiving. My heart was in my throat at that moment and I swear I probably broke out in a cold sweat.

* * *

I booked it in a full on sprint when I got off the bus after school. Maybe she didn't open the forms yet? Maybe nothing came in the mail at all? I didn't care if it didn't, I wouldn't take the chance to not try to beat her to the mailbox. I couldn't focus on anything but the mail for the remainder of that day and for once in my life, I _actually_ prayed. I wanted to avoid my parental figures knowing about this at all costs until I won the show, of course. If my mother saw the slip after the falling out we had, all hell would break loose. Peeking into the mailbox, I noticed the mail was already gone. My mother's car was in the driveway too. I cursed under my breath and unlocked the front door, biting down on my lower lip as I closed the door behind me.

"Natraaj?" My stomach dropped.

"Yeah Ma, it's me."

"Come to the kitchen for a moment." I gripped the strap of my backpack, gulped down hard and slowly approached the kitchen. It smelled like she'd been cooking something, but I was too nervous to think about food. I wanted to vomit. "I'm making dinner, but I don't have enough oil to finish frying these pakoras. Can you run to the store and get some for me, please?"

"H-huh?"

"Here's ten dollars. Should be enough. Go quickly before it gets dark and don't spend the change this time." I took the bill from her and nodded, turning away and finally releasing the breath I'd been holding in. The mail hadn't come, for sure it hadn't come. It would've been the first thing she bought to my attention. I felt a wave of relief wash over my entire being as I walked out of the kitchen. I pushed the bill down into my pocket and smiled the biggest I had all day. Opening the front door again, I was suddenly faced with a postal man. It was pretty late already, around six in the evening and it caught me off guard. I thought it was probably something from overseas again for my mother, those packages usually came later in the day.

"Package?" I asked. I was handed a white envelope, larger than normal and about the width of standard computer printing paper. The contents inside made the envelope a bit weighty. As the postal man turned away, I looked down at the sticker for an address or some kind of name. "No way..." It was the parental form. The way things had been falling into place over the past few weeks had been something that never happened to me before and I wondered if the universe was actually on my side in those moments.

Shopping for the oil had been the fastest I'd ever shopped for my mother. When I returned home with it, I set it down on the kitchen counter with her change and darted up to my room before my mother even had the chance to turn around. I closed my bedroom door, locked it and sat at my desk to finally look inside. The same poster Harold had received was the first page, then rule sheets, summary of the game, a list of all the players and finally the permission slip. I signed the slip with my best penmanship, folded it and tucked it away in a fresh envelope to be sent back to the producers. With that out of the way, I read through the players and opened my laptop to find their audition videos. I laughed at a few of them, but I mostly watched to get a feel of who I'd have to beat. I wasn't phased at all. The rules in themselves had been pretty simple as well. **_Win challenges to stay on the island with your team. Last person on the island with the most challenges won, wins the game. Lose a challenge, face elimination_**. I wasn't expecting to be placed on a team, but regardless, it didn't worry me.

There was a week and a half left of school and the bus for Total Drama was scheduled to leave three days from the final day of class. I figured I'd just pack my bags, leave them in the closet of my room and when the time came, I'd head for the bus terminal with Owen and his family. Over that week, I picked what clothing I thought would be best, purchased some hygienic products for travel with my allowance, new sneakers with some of my savings and made sure I was generally packed to the best of my ability. Owen and I packed together over the phone and he assured me he'd supply snacks for the coach bus ride there, since our yacht tickets were booked for different times. Parental forms had already been sent out and now the only thing left to do was find a lie that would work for the whole summer. Deep down, I knew my parent's would find out where I was eventually. I had younger cousins who ate up shows like this who'd be bored all summer long and would most likely catch big cousin on tv. I just needed them to think otherwise for now.

I came up with a plan, taking slips for the sleep away science camp that the science club at school had laying around. On a Saturday afternoon, before the final week of school, I asked my mother to sign the permission slip.

"I really think it'll be good for me." I told my parents over chai. "I really don't want to be home all summer this year, and I'll be a senior next year so it'll be something good to add to my college resume. It was actually pretty fun last year too." That was all it took to have something signed off. I gave them the phony date and I'd be off with Owen when the time finally came. With my bags packed, travel plans ready and my lie in place, school ended and the day finally came. I was off to _Camp Wawanakwa _in Muskoka. The road to Total Drama Island had become a reality. I thought I was ready, I really did.


End file.
